Traces of Lewd Scars Carved into the Mother's Womb
"Reiko-san... Is Mother okay as is?"
"I brought the clinic's equipment to the detached building, so it won't be a problem for a while... In fact, when I think about the fetus in Yukiko-san's belly, I can't take her anywhere else. And the big hospital is in the city. Right now, we can only use the old unpaved road."
"I know. I came to Sengatake Village through that old road."
"It's a steep mountain road that can barely accommodate one car. It's not the kind of road you can transport a pregnant woman to."
"Mother can't be carried outside the village..."
"Yes. That's right. Fortunately, her condition is very stable at the moment. I think it's best to wait and see."
Last summer, the paved road was closed due to a landslide caused by an earthquake, leaving the old unpaved road the only link between Sengatake Village and the outside world.
The old road is a rough road that can only be passed by 4WD vehicles.
There were no roads in Sengatake Village where pregnant women could be safely transported.
"Reiko-san, please tell me. Mother won't wake up, that wouldn't happen, right?"
"We can't say anything at this point. But, the reason why Yukiko-san hasn't woken up may be psychological. There were no signs of trauma that would cause her to fall into a coma. This may sound harsh, but ever since Saemon-san passed away two years ago, Yukiko-san's mental health has been unstable.''
"Unstable...?"
"That's right. You haven't heard from Ran-chan yet. What was Ariko-san's mental state before she collapsed...?"
"Ran? What do you mean? I want you to tell me exactly what happened to Mother."
"From me…. From the doctor, Reiko-sama…!"
"I'm an outsider. It would be better if you told her this as an employee who worked close to her. It's probably hard to talk about, but she'll know anyway. It's been a rumor. It's nothing special, right? Rather, Ran-chan is the victim. The truth is the truth. Let Hinami-chan hear it."
Reiko looks at Ran. Even before she fell into a coma, Yukiko's apprentice Ran, who worked at Sakuradani-kan, was well aware that Yukiko's emotional state was disturbed.
"The proprietress kicked out the old employees. After Saemon-san's death, in no time... Now, all the apprentices are young women newly hired by the proprietress."
"Eh...? Kicked out? No way!"
"It's true. Every single one of the employees who was there when the old master was in charge..."
"...Now that I think about it, all of the apprentices who came to greet me were people I didn't recognize. Has everyone I know quit?"
"Yes. I think I am the only one who is acquainted with the Ojousama who left Sengatake Village two years ago. The last person who stayed with us was forced to quit six months ago. There are no male workers at Sakuradani-kan now."
"Why...? How did it end up like that?"
"...Um... It's hard to say it to Ojousama, but... [young proprietress]. It seems like she really hated being called that... Some people were yelled at and some had things thrown at them."
Yukiko was nicknamed [young proprietress] by the old employees. She worked with her grandfather since her twenties, so it's understandable that she got that nickname. Even in her thirties, Yukiko would have been considered a [young proprietress] by the old employees.
"Really? But when I was here, Mother didn't care about what people called her. I can't even imagine that gentle mother lashing out or being violent with her employees..."
If it's Saemon, who was a strict father, she can imagine him yelling at them. However, her mother, Yukiko, was more of a protector of employees who were being scolded. Hinami couldn't believe her mother's sudden change, and she didn't want to believe it either.
"I know well. The proprietress was a kind-hearted person. However, ever since the master died in a forest fire, she has changed as a person. She has a strong desire to protect Sakuradani-kan. It might have had the opposite effect..."
"I wonder if Mother has become mentally ill since Father died..."
Why wasn't she nearby to support her? Hinami blamed herself. If she had been close to her mother, she could have stopped the situation before it got this bad.
"Many of the newly hired employees were younger than the proprietress. I was probably spared from being kicked out because I was young.''
She is shocked by the sudden change in her kind-hearted mother. In her hometown, where she thought nothing had changed, extraordinary changes were occurring.
"...So, what about the old man at the counter?"
"He decided to retire because he hurt his back... That was a year ago. I heard that the proprietress had actually dismissed him. The employees who were good at cooking took turns in cooking. But it didn't go the way it did before, and it tasted bad... The regulars stopped coming, and the customer base has changed quite a bit recently."
"I see... I should have gone back to Japan and supported Mother. I'm sorry. I must have put you through a lot of trouble..."
"No, no! That's outrageous! As long as I am guaranteed food and sustenance, I have no complaints! To the master and proprietress who took care of me, a runaway who doesn't know anyone. I am deeply indebted to them."
Hinami felt anxious because she felt like she was taking advantage of the girl's weakness. She had been told that since Ran was treated as a half-human, her salary was also reasonable.
(How can I apologize to the old employees who were forced to quit and to Ran, who has been burdened with hardships up until now...? Why did this happen...)
When Ran started working at Sakuradani-kan, her father told Hinami, [Don't play with Ran, who was poorly brought up]. Ran, who told them she couldn't go home, seemed to have a pretty bad family situation. That seemed to bother Saemon.
Hinami could not accept her father's discriminatory views. Perhaps because she studied abroad in an open-minded way, she can only see the things she doesn't like about the closed-minded Sengatake village.
"Reiko-san…. Will the baby be born from Mother’s womb if it stays like this?”
Not only the fate of Sakuradani-kan, but also the matter of the mother who collapsed is a big issue. No, if a child is born, it will lead to the problem of the successor to Sakuradani-kan. If it was her younger sister, there would be no problem, but if it were her younger brother, Hinami's status would be threatened. The tradition of the eldest son becoming the head of the family still continued.
"I wonder?"
"There is a possibility of stillbirth. Yukiko-san is on an intravenous drip to keep her life going. But without more nutrients, the baby will not be able to fully develop. It's a 50/50 chance that the baby will be born safely. So far, her body functions are normal, just that she is in a coma. Both mother and child are healthy."
"⋯⋯⋯⋯"
"If you're asking in another sense, I can't do it. There's a law called the Eugenic Protection Act. Doctors can't perform abortions at their own discretion. If the pregnant person and the father of the fetus don't agree, then I can't do it. Even if Hinami-chan wants it."
"That's not what I meant..."
"No. We need to consider an abortion. Doesn't anyone know how Yukiko-san got pregnant? Maybe she got pregnant without wanting to."
"...Is that ...by any chance?"
"It's about Yukiko-san's body. Do you want to hear it? I didn't tell the village about it, considering Yukiko's honor. Maybe I shouldn't really tell Hinami-chan, since you're still a minor...... However, as her only relative, it's better for you to know."
"Please. Please tell me, Reiko-san. What's going on with Mother's body?"
"During the diagnosis, I examined Yukiko-san's genitals. There were laceration marks on her v*ginal opening and anus. I also confirmed puncture wounds on her left and right nipples.''
"...Is that true?"
"The damage to the v*ginal opening is due to intense s*xual activity. I'll be blunt, but you can't get lacerations like that in the anus unless you have an anal intercourse. The nipple marks look like bite marks or needles."
"Eh... Anal...? Eh?"
"A perverted s*xual act that involves inserting an object or male organ into the anus... Have you ever heard of SM play? Medically, it is called sadistic masochism... Yuiko-san has no such hobbies."
Hinami stares at her sleeping mother. Traces of lewd scars confirmed by a doctor's diagnosis. Since she was pregnant, she knew that someone had been having s*x with her mother. But who is the person with whom she even has anal intercourse? Hinami's complexion was pale.
"......!"
She walks over to check on her mother's body. However, she was stopped by Reiko.
"It's best not to look at the lacerations on the pubic area. They've healed, but they're still fresh marks."
"But…!"
"You'll just be in shock. The scars will become less noticeable over time."
Reiko didn't tell her that the pleasure and abuse on the body would disappear. Yukiko's body was permanently scarred. Hinami's anger boils up inside of her because her immediate family is hurt.
"...Reiko-san. Who else knows?"
"The only person who knows this fact is Ran-chan, who helped me with the treatment. I haven't told the other employees or the villagers."
"Laceration on the female genitals... It's terrible. It's too cruel!! Then, Mother was forced...! Who on earth is it...!"
"It's true that she had a s*xual relationship with someone recently. The wound on her anus has mostly healed, so it doesn't seem like something that happened recently... It's just a scar from s*xual intercourse, so it's possible that it was consensual. Let's not jump to conclusions."
"But, but! If Mother was forcefully got pregnant, then she can have an abortion, right? If not, that’s definitely wrong!!"
"It's a cruel thing to say, but even in that case, we need the person's consent. Of course, we don't need the rapist's consent, but we do need Yukiko-san to express her intentions."
"Why!? Reiko-san! She was raped and got pregnant, but she can't have an abortion!"
"Even if someone impregnated you without wanting it, the baby is not at fault. There are women in this world who want to give birth. Can you prove that Yukiko-san is not that kind of woman?"
"That's...!"
"If the man doesn't come in the first place, we won't be able to prove that she was raped. If the man comes out and says it was a consensual relationship..."
"I can't accept it! That man might be the reason why Mother fell into a coma in the first place...! Hey! Ran!! Don't you have any idea!? Wasn't there someone who would attack Mother?"
"O-Ojousama! Please calm down."
"The male employee who was courting Mother, the vendors who come in and out of the inn… There must be someone suspicious, right?"
"I have never seen the proprietress with any man other than the master. To begin with, all the male employees quit over a year ago.''
If Ran's testimony is correct, the only men who could have had a relationship with Yukiko were the men who lived in Sengatake Village or the male guests who stayed at Sakuradani-kan.
"There are two male guests who have been staying for a long time. I think Ojousama knows one of them. It's Koshiro Himura-sama."
"Himura…. Um, Koshiro-san, the bank clerk who does business with us? That very fat one?"
"Yes. I don't know if it's okay to say this, but... that very fat Koshiro-sama."
"He's the embodiment of an unhealthy person. I don't like that person. As a doctor, if I were to diagnose him, he'd be completely obese. He's going to die from diabetes someday. Absolutely."
Koshiro Himura. It was a name she had heard many times since she was a child. A banker who is the branch manager of Yamatoku Mujin Bank and in charge of the hot spring inn [Sakuradani-kan]. He is a man as fat as a pig. He didn't seem to be very talented, but Sakuradani-kan had been doing business with him since her grandfather's generation.
The Sakuradani family, who ran a long-established hot spring inn that had been in operation since the Heian period and were also large landowners in Sengatake Village, were famous. It is said that before the war, they were a member of a noble family with a title. They never had a problem with money, and were actually high-ranking customers who kept their money at Yamatoku Mujin Bank.
(Grandfather trusted Koshiro-san, but father was unfriendly to him, so he complained that he wanted to change the person in charge...)
To put it bluntly, the obese man in his late fifties is ugly. However, she could not easily call him ugly. When she was a child, he once protected Hinami from being attacked by a wild dog. Due to these circumstances, Saemon did not quit doing business with Koshiro, even though he complained a lot.
"He comes to Sakuradani-kan once a week and does the accounting. The proprietress also left the money matters to the master, so she had no choice but to ask someone else. That's why she asked Koshiro-sama to do it…"
"You should have asked a tax accountant. Why did you go to the trouble of asking Koshiro-san? Well, that's fine. What about the other one?"
"I don't really get it myself, but he's a novelist who's been staying here for half a year. Motonobu Matsudaira-sama. Umm, a historical drama...? A swordsman...? No, a chivalrous hero? Anyway, he seems to be a famous person who writes stories about samurai."
"Famous...? Motonobu Matsudaira... I don't know of any novelist with that name. Reiko-san. Do you really think he's famous?"
"No, I think he calls himself a novelist. Unlike doctors and lawyers, he is free to call himself an author. Motonobu Matsudaira is a writer, at least I've never even heard of him."
"I think it's a little suspicious, too. But he's rich. Motonobu-sama paid upfront for a year's worth of lodgings. And he lives in the Hall of Heaven, where the cost of lodging is the highest! Since he's a popular author, I thought he might be able to give out a lot of money."
"One year's worth of accommodation... That's a lot of money. There's no doubt he has a lot of money."
"Yes. Actually, I even got paid by Motonobu-sama as a maid..."
"A maid? Did he ask you to do it?"
"I'm running errands for canned beer and cigarettes. Once a month, I take the old road and go into town to buy some groceries. I'm going to buy some daily necessities anyway, so while I'm at it... The beer is Asahi Gold. The brand of cigarettes is Seven Stars. Both are expensive, aren't they? Especially the cigarettes, which cost 100 yen per pack."
As for Motonobu Matsudaira, she could only tell that he was an eccentric long-term guest and that he had a strange flair.
"Hinami-chan. You look pale."
"Do you think hearing this story will make me feel better?"
Hinami smiled self-mockingly. She was strong in her own way. Reiko advises Hinami to take her rest.
"Anyway, take a good rest today. You must be tired from the long journey from Tokyo. It's not too late to start thinking about the future."
"We have prepared a room for Ojousama in the main building. Please come. I will show you around."
"I want to be close to Mother. I have my own room in the detached building. Isn't that okay?"
"Well... I was thinking of doing that at first, but Hinami Ojousama's room is full of dust because it hasn't been used for a long time. I can't let you to go there. I'll finish cleaning tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Could you wait until then?"
"If that's the case, I'll use the guest room in the main building. You can save the cleaning for later. It must be tough for you too, Ran. Don't worry about it."
She couldn't bring herself to order Ran and the other employees to clean up, even though they were already busy taking care of everything. In the first place, her luggage is packed in her travel bag. It was no inconvenience for her to not be able to use her own room.
(Mother...! I...! I will definitely protect Mother...!!)
Before leaving, Hinami looks at her mother's sleeping face, which has completely changed.
The proprietress of Sakuradani-kan is 34 years old this year, and the heart of a young child is beating in the womb of a widow who lost her husband. Someone's seed was poured out, and a new life was born in the womb. Hinami had a strong dislike for her younger sibling who was not yet born.
The mother was raped and became pregnant. That must be the case, Hinami thought.
[Introduction of characters]
▼ Yukiko Sakuradani
The young proprietress of Sakuradani-kan, a long-established hot spring inn.
She lost her husband and became a widow. She is raped by someone from Sengatake Village and she becomes pregnant.
▼ Saemon Sakuradani (deceased)
Yukiko's late husband. Burn to death in a fire.
▼ Hinami Sakuradani
Yukiko and Saemon's only daughter. She left Sengatake Village and entered a girls' school in Tokyo. Until recently, she was studying abroad.
She reunites with her mother for the first time in two years and is told that she is pregnant.
▼ Misaki Reiko
A female doctor who works at a clinic in Sengatake Village. She diagnoses that Yukiko is pregnant.
▼ Ran
An apprentice who works at Sakuradani-kan. She is a twelve-year-old girl, but she does not go to school.
▼ Koshiro Himura
A bank employee at Yamatoku Mujin Bank. An obese, ugly middle-aged man.
Although he is the exclusive representative of the Sakuradani family, he was despised by Saemon when he was alive.
▼ Motonobu Matsudaira
Self-proclaimed novelist. A long-term guest staying at Sakuradani-kan.
[Records of Sengatake Village]
▽ 1974
One day in April: Hinami enters a girls' school in Tokyo and leaves Sengatake Village.
July 7th: Saemon was burned to death in a fire.
Late August: Yukiko's emotions become disturbed and she begins to kick out the old employees.
▽ 1975
A certain day in September: Yukiko becomes pregnant by the rape demon's seed.
▽ 1976
February 24th: Hinami returns home and is told that her mother, Yukiko, is pregnant.
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